Saturday, 1 June 2013

Central African Republic issues arrest warrant for ex-President

Rebels who seized power after a coup in March also face accusations of a looting and killing spree [AFP]

The Central African Republic has issued an
international arrest warrant for former president Francois Bozize on
charges of crimes against humanity, the public prosecutor has said.

"Since
May 29, 2013, an international arrest warrant has been out against...
Francois Bozize," Alain Tolmo said on Friday, adding that some of the
charges fell under the scope of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
and included "crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide".

Bozize
- who fled the country after rebels seized power in a coup in March -
also stands accused of 22 murders and 119 "summary executions", the
prosecutor said.

Bozize is also accused of a string of arrests,
abductions and arbitrary detentions as well as the destruction of nearly
4,000 homes.

Tolmo, who described the crimes blamed on Bozize as
"appallingly egregious", said the warrant had been sent through
Interpol but no notice against Bozize was visible on the international
police organisation's website.

The ICC for its part said it had not issued a warrant against Bozize.

"The
ICC has not issued an arrest warrant and has not made any new demand
regarding the situation in the Central African Republic.

The
country's interim government announced earlier this month it was
opening a probe into "grave human rights violations" by Bozize and his
allies during his 10 years in power.

"Other international arrest warrants are being issued," Tolmo said, without elaborating.

Justice
Minister Arsene Sende had said earlier this month that the summary
executions were believed to have been carried out by Bozize's personal
guard, led by Eugene Ngaikosset, a captain nicknamed "the butcher of
Paoua" after a
northwestern town that saw brutal government repression in 2005-07.

Sende
also mentioned the case of former minister and rebel leader Charles
Massi, who was "arrested in Chad in 2010, handed over to the Central
African authorities and executed by president Bozize's guard."

The
66-year-old deposed leader, who seized power in a 2003 coup and was
subsequently elected president twice in polls widely condemned as
fraudulent, has sought refuge in Cameroon.

The interim government
with rebel leader Michel Djotodia as president has vowed to hold free
and fair polls at the end of an 18-month transition period.

But
the rebels have struggled to maintain order and have themselves been
accused of taking part in a looting and killing spree in the country of
4.5 million people.

In April, Bozize himself called for an international probe into the unrest in Bangui.

Central African Republic has been wracked by a series of coups and rebellions since its independence from France in 1960.